Former AS Roma manager José Mourinho has criticized Victor Osihmen, saying the on-loan Galatasaray striker dives too much.
The Special One, who now manages Turkish giant Fenerbahce, stated this in an extended interview with Turkish media HT Spor, in which he discussed several things related to Italian football.
Osihmen will likely face Mourinho’s in the running for the Turkish League trophy. The Nigerian striker joined the Turkish side on loan from Napoli after failing to secure a move to the French champions Paris Saint-Germaine.
Having led the capital club to the first Europw conference league, the former Chelsea boss led them to the Europa League final the next season but lost to Spanish side Sevilla.
Speaking about the final, Mourinho said he ‘will die and never forget’ the 2022-23 Europa League Final.
The former Manchester United manager insisted that he has no problems with Osimhen, rating him as a top player he would love to coach. He complained about Osimhen’s attitude on the pitch last season during a Serie A match between Roma and Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico.
“He’s a fantastic player. Of course, he comes in different circumstances, but it doesn’t matter; what matters is that Galatasaray is a tremendous player.
The manager further revealed having a very good relationship with Osimhen, saying he speaks with him every time he plays against him.
“He dives too much, and I had this conversation with him the last time we played Roma vs Napoli. I told him: ‘Look, you are one of the two best African players, it’s you and Salah. In the past, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, George Weah. He can’t behave like this.
“He dives too much, and that’s my problem with him, but after 10 minutes, we are fine. We have a good relationship, and for the Turkish league, it’s fantastic, and for Galatasaray, he’s fantastic too.”
Not forgetting about the 2022-23 Europa League Final so fast, his Roma side lost against Sevilla, especially after a recent referee controversy that saw his Fenerbahce side eliminated from the Champions League playoff in August.
“UEFA is UEFA. Referees are referees. I have zero problems with UEFA. To be honest, I have a good relationship with the president, very respectful,” said the Portuguese coach.
“The reality is that VAR and the referee decided that I couldn’t win that [Europa League] Final. It’s a kind of penalty that one million people will all say it’s a huge penalty. It’s also true that against Lille, it was a strange penalty given by VAR at the last minute after two hours of fighting, but I will die and never forget that final with Roma.”
Furious Mourinho after the Europa League Final, Mourinho even waited for English referee Anthony Taylor inside the stadium parking to insult him. He was handed a four-match ban for European matches due to his behavior.
